An All-Road platform that rides like a road bike

Introducing Enve’s latest frame offering, the Fray.

April 11, 2024

At Velosmith, the category of All-Road is one of our most popular. 

The Fray’s frame geometry slots in between the Melee and MOG with a wheelbase slightly longer than the Melee, a lower center of gravity than the Melee and slightly more upright riding position. The wheelbase, tire clearance and riding position is not quite as “gravel minded” as the MOG.

The Fray is Enve’s latest frame offering; slotting in between the road focused Melee and the gravel-minded MOG. The Fray literally blends features from the Melee and MOG. 

Melee Influences

Fast, agile, lively. Aero seat post, aero frame shapes.

MOG Influences

Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH) compatible, third bottle cage, bento box mounts and the cavernous downtube storage area.  

Like the Melee and MOG, the Fray utilizes Enve’s In-Route cockpit which routes brake lines internally for that clean Enve aesthetic.  

The Fray’s frame geometry slots in between the Melee and MOG with a wheelbase slightly longer than the Melee, a lower center of gravity than the Melee, and a slightly more upright riding position. The wheelbase, tire clearance, and riding position are not quite as “gravel-minded” as the MOG. All-Road typically defines a bike with clearance for up to 38mm tires. Although the name implies “all-road”, the platform would be better labeled: “All-Roads”. The clearance for large-volume tires opens up the bike’s capabilities, making it ideally suited for bad pavement, groomed gravel, dirt roads, and smooth tarmac. Bigger tires also equal greater comfort without disconnecting from a road bike feel.

For riders seeking a dynamic platform, the Fray is ideal. 

Run a larger tire for comfort, added capabilities on rough terrain, or more excellent stability. Install fenders for shoulder season rides when the roads are likely to be wet. Install a third bottle cage and bento box for those days when the routes are long, and the heat is relentless.

The Fray is every bit a road bike when set-up with road tires. Jump in a spirited group ride, aim for the apex of your favorite corner, and or rotate through a paceline - you would be hard-pressed to know the Fray would accommodate a 40mm knobby tire.

Enve’s engineers envisioned the Fray to be set-up in one of two ways, a 1x or a 2x drivetrain.  

  • When configured as a 1x, the Fray is focused on the gravel/adventure category - steep climbs and rolling, varying terrain. The 1x configuration would be ideal with a SRAM XPLR (10-44 cassette and 38-42 chainring) groupset and tires between 38-40mm knobby or smooth. A set-up like this would be perfect for SBT Gravel in Steamboat, CO, or Barry-Roubaix in Hastings, MI. Fast and able! Or, run the Fray with a 1x, pure road set-up as long as your max chainring does not exceed a 55t. There were countless examples of 48-52t chainring configurations at this year’s Paris Roubaix.

  • When configured as a 2x, the Fray is basically a road bike. An ideal drivetrain might be a Shimano or SRAM configuration with chainrings ranging from standard to compact (46/33 from SRAM or 50/34 from Shimano). Viewing the Fray through the lens of its largest tire capacity would be to limit the Fray’s capabilities. A 35mm tire is the sweet spot for handling. With a 35mm tire, the Fray’s handling is crisp and predictable. The front end feels light and agile yet neutral.

For our Fray demo bike, we opted for a 48t 1x set-up with a 10-33 cassette. The chainring clearance is ample and the stay length allows for an ideal chainline throughout the entire cassette. With this set-up the Fray can run a 38-40mm tire with no issues. As you size up with tires the handling settles and becomes dampened, input produces less output - ideal for loose terrain, especially when ripping down hill. If you had thoughts of running a smaller tire (30-32mm) - focus your search on the Melee.  

As bicycle technology advances, there is little downside to larger-volume tires. Over the years, suppliers have continued to develop this technology, bringing new products to market daily. An example of this is tire options. Three years ago, 35mm tire options were fairly narrow. Today, a rider can choose from a large selection of 35mm tires with nearly every tread pattern they might need for an event, a specific route, or their daily ride.

The Enve Fray, a carbon fiber marvel, is a standout addition to our range of titanium All Road options from Mosaic and Seven. It's a perfect choice for riders in search of a dynamic platform. Enve's meticulous fit considerations have been proven to be effective. Our sales of the Melee and MOG models have demonstrated their flexibility in accommodating everyone who desired an Enve. While a stock frame geometry may not match the precision of a custom one, we've yet to encounter any issues.

Enve launches newest model, Fray, April 11, 2024.